Wendy Morton

The driving principle behind public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector contracting authorities are required to purchase products and services through competitive tender in accordance with public procurement legislation, and are responsible for their own commercial decisions, including the award of contracts.

The Government wants UK businesses to be successful in bidding for UK public contracts. That is why we introduced the Procurement Bill, currently being considered by Parliament. This Bill will reform public procurement and make it simpler, quicker and cheaper for suppliers, including British SMEs and social enterprises, to bid for public sector contracts - lowering barriers to entry to the market.

We also want UK businesses to be successful in competing for public contracts in other countries around the world, which we achieve by negotiating guaranteed market access for UK suppliers in many international free trade agreements. Our membership of the World Trade Organisation's Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) gives British businesses access to £1.3 trillion in public procurement opportunities overseas, including opportunities in some of the world's major economies.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has not visited a clay quarry in her current role. However, officials within the Department for Business & Trade are in regular contacts with firms and trade associations in the construction sector, including those that produce or use mineral products such as clay.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade, has not visited any brick manufacturers since 7 February 2023. However, officials within the Department for Business & Trade are in regular contacts with firms and trade associations in the construction sector, including those that manufacture bricks.

Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-energy-security-and-net-zero.

Data covering the 1 January 2023 until 31 March 2023 is due to be published shortly. In line with Cabinet Office Guidance organisations are listed instead of individuals.

The Government is working with these sectors to support decarbonisation. To date, the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund has given over £3m to energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects in the brick, tiles and construction products sector. Subject to business case approval, Phase 3 will open in early 2024.

Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-energy-security-and-net-zero.

Data covering the 1 January 2023 until 31 March 2023 is due to be published shortly. In line with Cabinet Office Guidance organisations are listed instead of individuals.

The Government is working with these sectors to support decarbonisation. To date, the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund has given over £3m to energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects in the brick, tiles and construction products sector. Subject to business case approval, Phase 3 will open in early 2024.

As part of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme review, the Government assessed a range of qualitative and quantitative evidence from businesses and stakeholders, including hospices, on sectors that may be most affected by rising energy prices based on energy and trade intensity. The Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) will run from April until March 2024, and will continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers, including hospices.

The Government recognises the vital role that charities and the voluntary sector, including hospices play in our communities. That is why my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Spring Budget additional funding of over £100m for charities and community organisations who are impacted by high energy costs.

The subjects of relationships education for primary school pupils, relationships and sex education for secondary school pupils, and health education for all pupils in state-funded schools became compulsory in state funded schools in September 2020 and can help address the underlying causes of knife and gun crime.

Whilst the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance does not mention knife crime explicitly, it does reference situations that often lead young people to carry weapons. These include criminal exploitation though involvement in gangs and county lines drugs operations, and the grooming relationships that often accompany this.

As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools will have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects, so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and backgrounds of their pupils.

Issues around knife crime can also be taught as part of a school’s wider curriculum. For example, schools can choose to include lessons on weapons awareness and gangs as part of their personal, social, health and economic education or citizenship curriculum.

The Department has recently brought forward the review of the RSHE statutory guidance. As part of this, the Department will explore whether any more content is required. The Department expects to consult on guidance in the autumn and publish revised guidance in early 2024.

On 8 March, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the Department had brought forward the review of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. The review will cover the full scope of the statutory guidance, including the use of external speakers and resources, and will involve working closely with stakeholders and experts to draw on the best available evidence.

On 31 March, the Department announced further details of the review, including the plan to set up an independent panel of experts to advise on what can be done to ensure that what is taught is appropriate by, for example, introducing age restrictions. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-of-relationships-sex-and-health-education-to-protect-children-to-conclude-by-end-of-year.

The Department will undertake a public consultation on the amended guidance in the autumn.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Leader of the House about our legislative programme and other matters. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill contains a number of manifesto commitments, including a ban on live exports and curbs on puppy smuggling, which we are committed to progressing when Parliamentary time allows. The Leader of the House will continue to announce business in the usual way.

The Action Plan for Animal Welfare outlined our intention to explore potential action on the import of animal fur. We have since conducted a Call for Evidence on the fur sector along with other forms of engagement with interested parties. We are continuing to build our evidence base on the fur sector. We are also committed to building a clear evidence base to inform any potential future decisions relating to foie gras imports.

Data on the volume and value of fatty livers (which includes foie gras) and imported fur (including skins and articles of clothing, apparel and accessories) is publicly available on the UK Trade Info website - Trade data - UK Trade Info

Environmentally-sustainable farming is fundamental to our approach to England’s agricultural system. We are introducing new schemes that reward farmers for sustainable farming practices. The first scheme, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, launched this year and pays farmers for managing their land sustainably, beyond regulatory requirements. Actions are grouped into simple packages known as standards, to make it easy for farmers to identify suitable actions. More standards will be introduced in the coming years.

As noted in the previous answer, we are considering the publication of a Call for Evidence on motoring offences, which we expect to reflect many of the issues that have been brought to our attention and to be published in due course. While the precise content and timings are still to be confirmed, it is expected that it will include aspects of drink and drug driving, failure to stop and report and the opportunity to raise other matters.

The Department is expecting to conduct a call for evidence into road traffic offences, which will provide an opportunity to consider this issue among others. This is a complex area of the law, which requires careful consideration to get it right.

The number of pedestrians and other road users that were killed or seriously injured in reported road collisions that involved at least one of the drivers leaving the scene in 2021 is shown below.

Data for 2022 will be published in September 2023.

The Department is currently in the pre-procurement stage of determining a selected partner for the Automated External Defibrillator Fund. On 26 May 2023, the Department published the Community Automated External Defibrillators Fund (Grant Administration) for a supplier to manage grant applications for Automated External Defibrillators from local organisations and community groups. The notice is available at the following link:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/2c6e4cd1-3302-448d-8ebe-2795fb996843

It is anticipated that a contract will be awarded to a supplier to expand defibrillator access in the community by Summer 2023.

The Department is currently in the pre-procurement stage in its process of determining a selected partner for the Automated External Defibrillator Fund. The Department will publish shortly an invitation for organisations to bid for the fund through GOV.UK. It is anticipated that a contract will be awarded to a supplier to expand defibrillator access in the community by August 2023.

The Department is currently in the pre-procurement stage in its process of determining a selected partner for the Automated External Defibrillator Fund. The Department will publish shortly an invitation for organisations to bid for the fund through GOV.UK. It is anticipated that a contract will be awarded to a supplier to expand defibrillator access in the community by August 2023.

The Department is currently in the pre-procurement stage in its process of determining a selected partner for the Automated External Defibrillator Fund. A typical procurement that is compliant with the Public Contract Regulations 2015 can take between three and six months depending on the procurement route chosen.

The Department will publish in due course an invitation to bid for the fund through GOV.UK. The invitation will be open to all interested organisations including any in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

We have committed to publish a new national suicide prevention strategy this year and are engaging widely across the suicide prevention sector to understand what further action we can take to reduce suicides amongst different groups.

The announcements made by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 17 represent an important step for accountability and demonstrate that the international justice system is working. The UK wants to see those responsible for the atrocities that have been committed in Ukraine, including those against children, held to account. We are supporting the ICC and Ukrainian Prosecutor General in their independent investigations into allegations of war crimes committed in Ukraine.

The UK has allocated up to £2.5 million this year to support Ukraine's domestic investigations and prosecution of international crimes, including sexual violence and crimes against children. In Ukraine, we are providing personnel from the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Team of Experts to support capacity building amongst prosecutors and the police as well as support to victims, including women and children.

The £1 million additional contribution that the UK has provided to the International Criminal Court will enhance capacity on investigations into crimes of sexual and gender-based violence and crimes against children, led by the Prosecutors' special adviser on crimes against and affecting children.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) is measured on a calendar year basis. Provisional ODA figures are published annually in spring, with final figures in autumn. Final data for 2021 will be published on 23 November 2022.

Final UK ODA spend by Government Department from 2017-2020 (the most recent five-year period for which data is available) is in Table A3 of Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2020:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021093/Table-A3.ods

The provisional total for UK ODA spend by Government Department in 2021 is available in Table 3 of Statistics on International Development: Provisional UK Aid Spend 2021:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1068460/prov-SID-21-Table3a.ods

Official Development Assistance (ODA) is measured on a calendar year basis.

UK bilateral ODA spend by country is available for 2017-2020 in Table A4a, Table A4b, Table A4c, Table A4d and Table A4e of Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2020. The latest data available is for 2020, with data for 2021 due to be published on 23 November 2022.

The UK also provides core funding to multilateral organisations, which will benefit developing countries. A breakdown for 2016 to 2020 of the estimated amount of UK ODA funding to the core budgets of multilateral organisations, which was then spent in developing countries can be found in Table A10 of Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2020.

Table A4a (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021094/Table-A4a.ods),

Table A4b (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021095/Table-A4b.ods),

Table A4c (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021097/Table-A4c.ods),

Table A4d (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021098/Table-A4d.ods)

Table A4e (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021099/Table-A4e.ods)

Table A10 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1081373/Table_A10a.ods)

Due to the UK's significant support to the people seeking sanctuary in the UK from conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan, the FCDO was not able to publish forward programme allocations in our Annual Report as the original allocations would not be accurate. We remain committed to transparency and will provide updates to Parliament on spending plans in due course.

A final estimate of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), the ODA:Gross National Income (GNI) ratio and more detailed breakdowns of UK ODA is published annually in Statistics on International Development publications (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development).